Florida Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk spent much of the summer celebrating his first Stanley Cup title. Now he’s celebrating the life of his friend and beloved former Calgary Flames teammate, Johnny Gaudreau.
“My memory of him will live forever,” Tkachuk said Wednesday during media day in Florida, as quoted by The Associated Press.
Gaudreau and his brother Matthew were killed on August 29 when they were struck by a suspected drunk driver while riding on a bike path in New Jersey, according to police.
To Tkachuk, Gaudreau was “the most offensively talented player” he had ever seen.
“It was such an honor to play with him,” Tkachuk said as his team prepares to begin its Stanley Cup title defense. “And you all saw what he did on the ice. I was the luckiest of anyone in this room to have a great relationship with him. So those are the memories I’ll take with me. But it was horrible. It really was.”
Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk spent time remembering Johnny Gaudreau on Wednesday
Johnny Gaudreau (left) and Matthew Tkachuk embrace during Calgary Flames days
Matthew Tkachuk (left) and Johnny Gaudreau (right) spent six years together in Calgary
Gaudreau and Tkachuk were teammates in Calgary for six seasons. Tkachuk was traded to Florida in the summer of 2022, the offseason in which Gaudreau left the Flames to play for the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Gaudreau and his younger brother were killed near their South Jersey home the night before they were to be groomsmen at their sister Katie’s wedding. Sean Higgins, the driver who police say struck the brothers, is charged with two counts of vehicular homicide, along with reckless driving, possession of an open container and alcohol in a motor vehicle.
In documents obtained by DailyMail.com, Higgins admitted to police that he drank “5-6 beers” before getting behind the wheel of his Jeep Grand Cherokee and crashing into the back of Johnny and Matthew.
“It was horrible,” Tkachuk said. “It really was.”
The tributes to Gaudreau and his brother have been ongoing since their deaths and show no signs of stopping anytime soon.
Tkachuk and the Panthers will face off in Columbus on October 15, the Blue Jackets’ first regular-season home game since Gaudreau’s death. It’s sure to be an emotional game.
“Johnny is one of my favorite teammates I’ve ever played with. Such a great friend,” Tkachuk said. “It doesn’t matter if you know them or played against them or even if you just have a brother or sister, everybody can relate to this. And it’s been horrible. I’ll always carry something with me where he’s always with me.”
Tkachuk was one of many from the hockey world who attended the Gaudreau brothers’ service earlier this month. He said he was constantly thinking about Johnny Gaudreau’s wife, Meredith, their children who lost their father and the parents who lost their sons.
“I think everybody does a great job of telling the stories and keeping him present because that’s exactly what he would want, is for us to laugh at him and tell the funny stories about what a great player and teammate he was — and a better guy,” Tkachuk said.